Adore
by Discordence
Summary: Thanks to broken hearts and unexplained connections, Kale is able to tell Asher she loves him all through the essence of her character and a white lily.


"Anthuriums represent hospitality, Birds of Paradise represent joyfulness, and Stocks represent contention with life."

Flower browsing was a favored hobby of Kale's. She always enjoyed browsing her mother's flower shop as it let her escape from Travis Prep and all the academic pressure it gives her. Due to flower browsing being a solo act, she found herself with more knowledge on flowers than Science. She'd always have a place in her heart for her favorite school subject, but flowers were a greater love.

Her greatest love existed in the boy that kept her up at night, plaguing her thoughts with how wonderful she thought he was.

Kale frequently wondered when her feelings began to blossom; Asher had always been somewhat of a friend to her. They hardly ever talked before this year, but even then, Kale felt some sort of kinship with him. She couldn't quite explain the feeling, but she knew the connection was there.

It was in that connection she fell for him, and as time passed, she fell hard.

There was a dull ache in her heart whenever Asher was with Summer, and the final nail in the coffin was when she got word that they were together. She loved Summer like a sister and was happy for her (sometimes Kale felt as if there was a connection between them), but she couldn't help herself; jealously would be the death of her, and she secretly wished that the relationship would end in some way.

And then it did - abruptly. In the aftermath, Kale believed, Summer did more than give Asher a broken heart; she made him believe that he was the reason she left him.

Kale wasn't going to settle for that. She had her own broken heart before, as the culprit was Summer's new boyfriend, and she didn't want the boy she was in love with to feel the same way.

 _A flower is the remedy to all sadness in life._

This thought was implanted in Kale's mind ever since she found her passion for nature. Her anthem for years, she found a flower for every occaison, and this time was no different. She searched through the rows of roses and daisies until her eyes rested on the assortment of lilies towards the back of the store. Kale let her eyes dance across the colors of the flowers.

"A white lily," Kale spoke softly as she observed the flower at the end of the row, "represents devotion. It's something you need, Ash, and I can let you know you have it."

As she picked the flower, her mother assisted her in making it fit for a small, black flower pot before they headed home. Kale spent the rest of the night staring up at the ceiling, hypnotized by the spinning blades of the fan and wondering how Asher would feel when she gives him what, she feels, has been taken from him.

The sun rose in the sky, and Kale rose with it. She wasted no time in getting ready for another day at Travis Prep, wearing the red dress that, she remembers, allowed her to bond with the boy who's truly stolen her heart. The thought of Asher rested in her mind as she left for school. Upon arrival, with the flower pot in hand, Kale rushed through the entrance and searched around for Asher until she spotted him at his locker.

The time was now.

"Asher?" Kale asked as she approached him. The flower was behind her back.

He looked at her and smiled, "Hey, Kale."

"How's it going?"

"Things could be better, but it's okay."

"Is the breakup still haunting you?"

"You...know?" Asher asked, surprised.

"I heard about what happened," Kale spoke quickly, "I'm sorry about that, Ash."

"It's okay. Sometimes, things just happen and you can't understand why."

"I get ya," Kale nodded before shifting around the flower pot behind her, "Um, Asher?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I wanna tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well," Kale blushed, "the thing is, for awhile now, I've kinda...liked you."

"You...what do you mean?" Asher asked raising an eyebrow.

Kale sighed, bracing herself for the confession that was a long time coming, "I like you, Asher."

"Oh, Kale..."

"Don't think of this as pity or anything," Kale continued, rushing a few of her words together, "I really do like you...it's, it's more than 'like', Ash. It's love."

"Kale, I-"

"I love you," Kale breathed out loudly, her cheeks burning alongside a radiant smile, "I love the way you smile because it brightens my day. I love the way you laugh because it sounds so pure and lovely and innocent. I even love the way your face scrunches up like a little mouse whenever you're appalled by something because it's just _cute_. I love you and everything about you, Asher, and I mean it."

"Kale..." Asher spoke softly, feeling a tug at his heart.

"I know that you and Summer ended things badly, and that she really hurt you. I don't want that fallout to affect how you view love. I don't want it to make you believe that's what you deserve. You don't deserve that. You deserve someone who's going to love you, who's going to be there for you, who's going to adore and be devoted to you..." Kale took a breath as she revealed the potted while lily to Asher, "...which is why I have this for you."

"A white lily," Asher spoke gently, taking the black pot into his hands, "My favorite flower...Kale, this...how did you get this?"

"My mom runs the family flower shop, and it's something I'm gonna inherit one day," Kale responded, "I picked it out because I know you love them and she helped me prep it."

" _Wow_ ," Asher beamed, looking at the flower.

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"That beautiful smile," Kale grinned, moving closer to Asher in order to cup his cheek, "God I love that smile."

"Aw, Kale..." Asher blushed as Kale moved her hand away. They locked eyes and admired each other for a but before snapping back into reality. Kale's cheeks were a rosy pink and she felt them burning. She tried to find words to break the ice, "Thank you, Kale."

"Huh?"

"Thank you for...all of this," Asher responded, "Y'know, I thought that Summer and I were gonna last, everything started out so well...but then she left me without any clear reason why. I thought that it was gonna be Summer who would be my soulmate, but this? This...this helped me realize that my true soulmate is you. No one knows me like you do."

"Aw, Ash, I-" Kale stopped herself as she felt Asher kiss her cheek. When he pulled away, they both have each other loving gazes with red cheeks. Another pause caused Kale to search for words to break it. This time, she found them.

"Y'know, I'm always gonna look at you this way."

"Why?"

"'Cause I adore you."

* * *

 **A/N: This one took awhile because, well, I've been SoR-deprived (that and there's only been one Kasher scene). I hope you enjoyed! :)**


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